AEMOB Forum 2026 Doha: Closing Facts
Second edition of Qatar's autonomous and electric mobility forum concludes, having welcomed more than 1,500 attendees, 71 speakers, and 33 exhibitors, from 68 countries.
Photo: Autonomous e-Mobility Forum
The second edition of the Autonomous e-Mobility Forum closed in Doha on 9 September after three days that brought more than 1,500 attendees, 71 speakers and 33 exhibitors to Qatar to work through what it will take to put driverless and electric transport into everyday service.
Hosted by the Ministry of Transport of the State of Qatar, under the patronage of His Excellency Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulla bin Mohammed Al Thani, Minister of Transport, the Forum ran across two conference days at the Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC) on 7 and 8 September, closing on 9 September with the AEMOB Ecosystem Tour. Delegates travelled from 68 countries and included government leaders, policymakers, industry representatives, researchers, academics, technology innovators, and mobility specialists.
The 2026 edition reinforced AEMOB Forum's position as a platform where government, industry, academia and technology representatives examine the policies, infrastructure and partnerships that turn mobility innovation into real-world working systems.
H.E. Mohammed Abdullah Al-Maadeed, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Transport, highlighted: “Addressing these challenges requires not just partial or isolated solutions, but a comprehensive and coordinated approach based on an unconventional partnership among governments, the private sector, and research institutions.”
From Autonomous Vehicles to the Future of Electric Mobility
Across two conference days, AEMOB Forum 2026 ran keynote sessions, panel discussions and expert workshops on the developments reshaping future transport. Sessions ran across the Main and Side Stage, with free Community Sessions opening the conversation to a wider audience. The program covered autonomous vehicle deployment, electric vehicles and charging infrastructure, smart-grid integration, public transport, air mobility, artificial intelligence, road safety, consumer confidence, cybersecurity, the economics of the transition, and the regulation that connected, intelligent transport will require.
Connecting Innovation, Industry, and Opportunity
Alongside the conference, the exhibition put 33 exhibiting entities in front of delegates, from established manufacturers and operators through to early-stage start-ups.
It provided attendees with the opportunity to see the technologies up close and to build connections across private and public sectors, academia, and the research community.
Participants travelled from as far afield as Germany, Italy, France, Oman, Saudi Arabia, among others, bringing policy and legal approaches and live deployment experiences from outside the region to the dialogue in Doha.
Recognizing Excellence in Autonomous and Electric Mobility
The second conference day closed with the AEMOB Gala Dinner and Awards Ceremony at the Rosewood Doha, where 124 guests saw three awards presented to individuals and organisations making measurable progress in autonomous and electric mobility.
• AEMOB Visionary Award: Qatar EV Association
Recognition of exceptional leadership, commitment and vision in advancing a sustainable, innovative and future-facing mobility ecosystem.
• AEMOB Technology Innovation Excellence Award: Mowasalat (Karwa)
Recognition of outstanding originality, technical excellence and innovation in developing transformative and scalable solutions that advance the future of autonomous mobility.
• AEMOB Most-Promising Start-up Award: HYKE
Recognition of an emerging international company demonstrating innovative solutions, a compelling vision and exceptional potential to shape the future of mobility.
The Forum also backed emerging ideas through its competition program. Shadi El Abdallah of Regent and Advancing the future of sustainable mobility through innovative all-electric Seaglider™ technology, connecting coastal communities with faster, smarter and zero-emission transportation, won the Startup Showcase Challenge from a field of eight, and Matt James Fortes of the University of Doha for Science and Technology won the 3-Minute Thesis Challenge from a field of six.
Taking the Conversation Beyond the Conference
AEMOB Forum 2026 extended beyond the conference venue through a program of side events designed to create additional opportunities for networking, collaboration and first-hand engagement with Qatar's mobility ecosystem.
The Forum opened with a Welcome Reception at Sanad, Doha, bringing speakers, delegates and partners together ahead of the two conference days.
The program concluded on 9 September with the AEMOB Ecosystem Tour, taking delegates from Msheireb Station through Qatar Rail, the University of Doha for Science and Technology (UDST), and Qatar Free Zones.
At UDST, delegates toured the marine engineering and engineering facilities before continuing to Qatar Free Zones, where Yutong, ABB E-Mobility and GeoLoc Star showed how their work connects to driverless e-Mobility.
Building the Next Chapter of Mobility
With autonomous and electric mobility continuing to transform transportation worldwide, the AEMOB Forum 2026 emphasized the importance of bringing together policymakers, technology providers, transportation operators, researchers, investors and innovators to address the transition collectively.
From policy and infrastructure through to technology, talent and implementation, the bottom-line of the 2026 edition was delivery: how to get autonomous and electric mobility onto roads in a real-life setting, safely, sustainably, and at scale.
AEMOB Forum will continue to build its international community and strengthen dialogue between mobility stakeholders in Qatar, the GCC and international markets.
